Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Giant vs Giant 2”?
Artist Statement
GIANT VS GIANT 2 Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 450 $30
Summary
Giant vs Giant 2 is a 2005 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 450 at 18 x 24 inches. A sequel to his earlier Giant vs Giant composition, it stages Fairey's Andre the Giant icon in a confrontational, dueling arrangement, foregrounding the OBEY iconography at the heart of his project. The source flags both pop culture and OBEY iconography as themes, and the larger 450-piece edition makes it one of the more available releases in this group.
Why It Matters
Giant vs Giant 2 extends one of Fairey's most self-referential ideas: pitting his own Andre the Giant icon against itself in a staged confrontation. The piece foregrounds OBEY iconography as both subject and content, turning the brand-like mark that powers his entire project into the protagonist of the image. As a numbered sequel to the 2004 Giant vs Giant, it documents Fairey's habit of building on and iterating his core motifs across years, a practice that gives collectors a traceable lineage. Released in 2005 as a 450-piece screen print, its larger edition size makes it more available than many of his 300-piece runs from the same period, which matters for collectors weighing scarcity. In a database, the print is valuable as a clear example of Fairey's OBEY-iconography practice and his tendency toward serialized, self-aware imagery. The dueling-Giant concept also reads as a playful meditation on the icon's omnipresence, the Giant confronting its own ubiquity, which keeps the work conceptually engaging beyond its graphic punch. It pairs naturally with the original Giant vs Giant and with the broader family of Andre-based works that anchor Fairey's identity.
Collector Perspective
This print is a natural fit for collectors focused on Fairey's OBEY and Andre the Giant iconography, especially those who like to own sequential or paired works. Acquiring it alongside the 2004 original creates a complete two-part set, an appealing prospect for completionists. At 18 x 24 inches it frames cleanly and reads well in a grouping of Giant-based prints. The 450-piece edition is among the larger in this cohort, keeping it relatively accessible. Display appeal is strong for the bold, confrontational composition. It anchors an OBEY-icon-focused collection and complements early Andre works from the late 1990s.
Historical Context
Giant vs Giant 2 dates to 2005 and follows the 2004 Giant vs Giant, situating it within Fairey's continued development of his Andre the Giant icon during the years before his 2008 mainstream breakthrough. The Andre image, which originated in his late-1980s sticker campaign, is the foundational element of the OBEY project, and this sequel shows Fairey iterating on that core motif more than fifteen years later. Released as a 450-piece Obey Giant screen print, it belongs to his mid-2000s OBEY-iconography output and reflects the self-referential, serialized way he treated his signature icon throughout this era.
FAQ
What is Giant vs Giant 2?
It is a 2005 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches in an edition of 450. It is a sequel to the 2004 Giant vs Giant and stages Fairey's Andre the Giant icon in a confrontational composition.
How does it relate to the first Giant vs Giant?
It is the numbered sequel to the 2004 Giant vs Giant, continuing the dueling-Giant concept. Collectors often pursue both to complete the two-part set, making the original a natural companion piece.
How large is the edition?
It was released as a first edition of 450 screen prints, larger than many of Fairey's 300-piece runs from the same period. That makes it one of the more available releases in this cohort, published by Obey Giant in 2005 at an original price of $30.
What is the Andre the Giant connection?
The print features Fairey's Andre the Giant icon, the foundational image of the OBEY project that originated in his late-1980s sticker campaign. Here he turns that signature mark into the subject of a self-referential confrontation.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.